A local newspaper reported that the International Islamic Relief Organization had taken a brave step by sponsoring 20 pilgrims with AIDS to perform Haj this year. The pilgrims, for the first time, felt equal with other pilgrims in terms of their color, race and social condition.
Such steps will shatter the barrier erected by our society, which chose to isolate these pilgrims and discriminate against them. Some social customs led to widening the gap between AIDS patients and society; these same customs treated AIDS as a forbidden issue that should not be talked about and discussed.
Some people contracted the disease by using drugs or having unprotected sex; many others, however, were innocent victims who became sick because of medical mistakes or blood tranfusions. After getting the disease, many isolated themselves from society, waiting for death.
AIDS is still a word that many people do not want to hear. Our society has an incorrect way of dealing with the disease; normally, we run away from those who are infected without offering help or showing any sympathy or tolerance.
The recent sponsorship by the International Islamic Relief Organization of 20 AIDS pilgrims has had a great impact on how they are seen and how they are treated. It also shows the true image of Islam as a religion of tolerance, equality and humanity.
We should support such steps, hope they will continue for many years to come and also that the number of AIDS patients who come to perform Haj will increase. We should provide these pilgrims with media support and work to change society’s image about them. We should not allow other societies to treat AIDS patients more humanely than we do since our religion instructs us to treat everyone humanely.
